You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Mood:
Not too shabby, tabby. And I’m hoping to keep it that way.

Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Medium or spicy, but it depends on the dish. I like my Thai food extra spicy and my Mexican food about medium.

What’s weird is that I grew up not really liking super hot food, but something changed somewhere within the past six months or so. I think it may have started with a dish I mistakenly ordered at a Thai food restaurant a while back.

It was called drunken noodles, which I later learned is called that because of how hot it is — so hot that you keep wanting to drink to soothe/cool your burning tongue.

SO HOT!

But oh so tasty…

A few weeks after my run-in with the drunken noodle dish, I ordered it again (hot food can be addictive)! But that time I got it mild, and I ended up not liking it as much.

Now, I’m much more adventurous with hot food, but I’m nowhere near as crazypants about about it as El Hub, who likes his food so spicy that beads of perspiration appear on his forehead during a meal, haha!

Your most awkward years?
Probably my years between 10-13. I always felt out of place. I wasn’t quite a child, but I didn’t really look old enough to be a teenager, either.

Watcha reading right now?
A young adult novel called The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. I’m lovin’ it so far. Five out of five stars on amazon.com!

Your current Hollywood crush?
Ryan Gosling still drives me wild, but Channing Tatum has moved up a notch or two. And I think just based on the characters he plays, Liam Neeson is pretty cool. Whenever sh*t hits the fan, Liam’s characters always take control and gets things done.

He busts heads when he has to, but he’s usually very elegant and efficient about it.

I love that.

Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
Part of me wants to say Pony by Ginuwine, but that’s too obvious.

It would have to be something with dramatic highs and lows, things that I could perform crazy stunts to (this also assumes I was vastly more flexible than I am now), but nothing too fast, because I wouldn’t want to fall off the stage!

Hmm… Maybe Janet Jackson’s I Get So Lonely?

Fave teen hottie of the ’80s or ’90s?
Ooh, gurl. Don’t even get me started on Michael J. Fox circa 1984.

Hair up or down?
Down, but only when my wavy curls are under control.

Tell me about a fear you’ve conquered:
Up until about 10 years ago, I was terrified of swimming, especially in the ocean. I was able to float and tread water, but I wasn’t really a comfortable swimmer.

Then I enrolled in a swimming class through the adult learning program at a local high school and also learned how to surf. Now, I’m much more comfortable in the water, but I draw the line at surfing more than 2-3 foot waves. There’s no way I’d dip a toe in the water during big wave season at Waimea on Oahu’s North Shore. Hell to the no!

So far, 42 people have commented on this article. How cool is that?

1. Mood: hmm.. excited
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? it really depends on my mood I guess.
3. Your most awkward years? Hm, I am not sure. Maybe last years of school when I had to make important decisions.
4. Watcha reading right now? A book on how to fight anxiety and fears.
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Hm, I don’t really have one right now. It was all about football for the the the last several weeks.
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Something Spanish I think.
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Probably Dylan from Beverly Hills?!
8. Hair up or down? Since it’s so hot now – up.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: great question.! It is something personal so I rather keep it to myself
10. Weekly goals: keep on learning Spanish, exercise regularly and organize my clothes.Plus I need to buy a new phone.Marina recently posted … Summer Bronzers: Chanel, YSL, Clarins, Too Faced, Trish McEvoy, Sephora and Benefit

1. Mood: Ohsohappy-happy! Im working 2 days and then we’re off to Austin Tx for the rest of the week.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Anywhere from Mild to Medium, depending on where im eating. There’s a Thai place here where Medium is actually Spicy. 😀

3. Your most awkward years? In some ways, they arent over yet, but the worst of the awkwards was from 4th grade til I graduated High School.

4. Watcha reading right now? The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. Its a really short book about Japanese picture brides. The writing is very poetic and lyrical and im enjoying this book a lot. Before I started this, I finished another book by the same author called When the Emperor was Divine.

5. Your current Hollywood crush? Ryan.Gosling. 😀

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Cliche, but my choice will be the iconic “It’s Raining Men”.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Joshua Jackson!

8. Hair up or down? Lately, up since its so hot!

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Eating at a restaurant alone. There are just some times when I have to do it or perish from hunger.

1. Mood: Happy. The first section of sumer chemistry is over in three days, so I’ll get a little break soon!
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Spicy. Anything hotter and I get heat rash cause I’m so pale.
3. Your most awkward years? I’m still pretty awkward.
4. Watcha reading right now? My chemistry books.
5. Your current Hollywood crush?The guy who plays Spiderman in the new Spiderman movie
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Breathe Carolina’s cover of Jay Sean’s “Down”
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? In elementary school, my friend and i were all about NYSNC
8. Hair up or down? If my curls and waves cooperate, then down.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: I am pretty fearless. Except when it comes to spiders. Those things suck.
10. Weekly goals: Study for my final on the 5th (sucks I know); get tipsy and play with sparklers with my friend after our chemistry exam; pick out new ss appliances for my kitchen.

3. Your most awkward years?
Early teens. I was skinny, had no boobs, and wore the most awful glasses and baggy clothes.

4. Watcha reading right now?
The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan. It’s an interesting study of the different types of food systems prevalent in North America.

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
I’ve been all about the footballers lately – Iker Casillas and Cesc Fabregas are both freaking gorgeous (what is it with Spain producing all these hotties? Does the paella and tapas come infused with hottie-creating chemicals or supernutrients?). Although, I’ve had a thing for Viggo Mortensen, especially as a Russian mobster, a la Eastern Promises.

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
Hmmm… I’m very partial to tango but I’m not quite envisioning a stripping theme happening… I would say I would have to go with something super cheesy but stripper-awesome like Jimi Hendrix’s Foxy Lady or Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
Back then it was AJ from BS (at least to my 12 year old self) – the one that GREW UP to be the cutest teen hottie though, has to be Justin Timberlake (sheep hair back then – total hottie now).

8. Hair up or down?
TOO HOT. Up.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
Driving. I didn’t get my license until I was 23 – I was too scared. Now I drive a manual (!) transmission VW Golf GTI! My boyfriend and I are “car” people.

10. Weekly goals:
Get back to work
Squeeze in 2 dance classes
Eat vegetarian for weekday dinners.

1. Mood:
Antsy. Luckily I’m only working two days this week, and I’m anxious to get started on the long weekend.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Medium or spicy. If something is extra hot, it just burns my mouth and I can’t taste the food.

3. Your most awkward years?
All three years of middle school.

4. Watcha reading right now?
I’ve been re-reading Twlight and catching up on some Entertainment Weekly magazines I’ve goten in the mail. I’ve got a whole list of books from the library to read while I’m off work.

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
I recently re-watched 21 Jump Street and Channing Tatum is great in it. Also Alexander Skarsgard and I agree with you about Liam Neeson!

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
I had a crush on Jon Bon Jovi. My friend and I also had major crushes on Christian Bale and Robert Sean Leonard after seeing Swing Kids.

8. Hair up or down?
Down. It’s not long enough to wear up, but when I get home from work I’ll pin my bangs back with a bobby pin.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
Hmm…I like to think that I’ve gotten over my fear of shyness and talking to new people. I’m still not a “people person”, but I’m more outgoing (relatively speaking) than I used to be when I was younger.

10. Weekly goals:
Do some food prep ahead of time for our 4th of July get together. Other than that, relax and do nothing!

Deep breathing exercies are a good idea. I get anxious sometimes over random things and that would be a good way to keep calm.

1. Mood: Optimistic, fun!
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Spicy or extra-hot!
3. Your most awkward years? There are such days once in a while, but don’t remember there being a phase of awkwardness. May be others know it better than i do :-D.
4. Watcha reading right now? 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Always Matt Damon!
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? You nailed it with the Janet Jackson number.
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Was never into super-star hotties, cuz’ a high school classmate of mine gave them a run for their money (or so i thought), mwahaha!
8. Hair up or down? Both ways. depending on the mood. Down, right now!
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: It’s not a fear, technically, but i usually loathe the idea of hanging out with people i can not relate much to..i am getting better at it!
10. Weekly goals: Be strong, be happy, be optimistic :).

1. Mood:
~Happy. Found some awesome Linkin Park tunes to jam to Taking a rest day from my busy weekend – we got bad storms here in MD and it caused some damage that needed to be cleaned up at my childhood home. Luckily the large oak tree branch didn’t cause serious damage to the house or roof, just scared my mom!

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
~I like mild most of the time, but I will use extra hot bbq sauce (like Wilbur’s Revenge at Famous Dave’s) every now and then. I’m like you – not a fan of spicy as a kid but it grew on me as I got older.

3. Your most awkward years?
~10 to 13 for me, too, I was always super skinny and didn’t have better fashion sense until about 13 to 14. Did the glasses and braces thing till about then, too, I didn’t feel pretty and it was a super awkward time for me.

4. Watcha reading right now?
~The new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I love the Anita Blake series and this book isn’t disappointing so far.

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
~Don’t really have one, oddly. I’ve watched too many reality shows on the Hollywood lifestyle and it kind of taints my view on stars I once crushed on.

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
~Oh, the CLASSICS are “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard and “Poison” by Alice Cooper. They were the original stripper songs and they’d have to be my anthems!

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
~hmmmm…I had liked Jonathan Taylor Thomas a lot as a kid.

8. Hair up or down?
~Up if I’m doing something active, down and preferably straight for hanging out with family and friends.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
~I was afraid of heights – conquered that fear by jumping off the legendary Jump Rock, which is 30 to 40 feet up depending on the water level, in New River Gorge in WV on a white water rafting and whitewater kayaking trip. I no longer shake when I have to climb ladders or go up high. To get up onto Jump Rock was very treacherous, so you didn’t want to go back down. The only way to get down was to jump off!

Congrats on conquering your fear of swimming – taking a few tumbles in a raging river I understand that fear!

10. Weekly goals:
~Keep up my habit of running every day unless my body really needs a break.
~Try to get more organized.
~Clean the house!
~Stay positive

Hi Karen!
I just wanted to say that I got a pink streak in my hair. I saw this bottle of hot pink dye at my hairdresser’s and I thought “It looked so cool on Karen” so I got it done!
Your blog always provides so much inspiration. Thanks!

1. Mood: Good, but a little anxious for my kid to wake up so that I can take the kids swimming. I should go in and get her up, but it’s nice and quiet right now.
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Spicy! The older I get, 37, the hotter I like it!
3. Your most awkward years? Hmmmm, 5th grade wasn’t too pretty, and I’m going to to have a 5th grader and she’s so beautiful! Also, Freshman and Sophmore years, not cute. But I didn’t care much back then, and that makes me very happy, and grateful!
4. Watcha reading right now? I just got the new Lee Child book, the new Jack Reacher. I honestly tried to read that “50 Shades of Grey” and had to stop reading it because it was so so bad. It made me want to stick forks in my eyes so I wouldn’t ever be able to read again. Thankfully, with the click of a button, a new book was in the Kindle and I was happy again!
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Channing Tatum is awfully cute, he’s man sized, and I like my men to be man sized! And I watched “Magic Mike”, and liked it, wish there wasn’t so much plot! I’m also a fan of Matt Passmore, who plays Jim Longworth on the show “The Glades.” Also, man sized!
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? “Pink” by Aerosmith, or maybe “Celebration” by Kool And the Gang! Fun happy upbeat songs.
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Tommy Page! I just looooooooved him! Still do!
8. Hair up or down? I have short hair, so down. When it’s long, I’m the ponytail queen!
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Well, I was doing Roller Derby, and that conquered my fear of getting hit and learning new things. I’m really interested in skydiving right now, to prove that I can truly do anything!
10. Weekly goals: Exercise! I want to make July by beeyotch! Get my house cleaned up too!

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Sorry, I don’t know what it means so ?

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Dirty Dancing, I love the movie and the actors, sad to think Patrick Swayze passed away, he was radiant.

8. Hair up or down? Up !

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: showing my feet ( with gorgeous nail polishes ! ) during summer. I used to hate my feet, now I am proud of my polishes and I bought so many ( around 70 ! )

10. Weekly goals: going to the M.A.C store for Heavenly Creature and taking care of my cat who is ageing, I worry about that. and some blood exams I am not scared at all but just tired of getting up very early in the morning !

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart. This would be great for Karaoke as well.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? No one in particular! My bff was obsessed with Brian from the Backstreet Boys, and everyone loved Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

8. Hair up or down? Most of the time down, but when it’s hot, it has to be up (I have long hair!) I do a lot of French braids too.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Lots of them, I was a very anxious kid. Traveling (obviously, I’m a world traveler right now) and food are the two biggest. I’m still somewhat scared of moths, but not the way I used to be.

10. Weekly goals: Stop shopping so that I don’t have the heaviest luggage in the world! Though makeup is still fair game, that’s small. It’s hard though, because the annual sales are going on!

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Extra HOT (it’s a diss as a south east asian to not be able to have extra hot food, so I gotta keep up). I do love it though. Extra hot in America is not that hot. Else where- where real heat is appreciated, I step down to spicy.

3. Your most awkward years?
Probably 12-14, I was chubby and weird about my body

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
I don’t know, I had so many

8. Hair up or down?
Down, cuz of my big ears

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
I’m pretty shy and don’t like talking in large groups. I used to work for a big name agency and used to get put on the spot a lot as the lead. I would be sweating, stuttering, and nervous because I was always the youngest and the only girl in the room talking to people way high up who had been doing the job longer than my age. I hated it and it would make me nervous everytime before I went to a meeting. Then I just started telling myself “you know what you’re doing.” I would wear a power suit the day of the meeting to boost my confidence, and verse and practice speaking… soon it became second nature. I still get nervous sometimes but I always follow the same combo (power suit + mantra + practice) and it really helps.

1. Mood: a little sad but otherwise okay. Thankful I have my little baby, Lady, with me
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Mild. I don’t do very well with spicy foods at all…though I’ve built up a good tolerance to Sriracha lately and eat that in large amounts on everything!
3. Your most awkward years? I would definitely say middle school
4. Watcha reading right now? book 12 in the Stephanie Plum novels. Fun reads!
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Benicio del Toro! 😛
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? omg, embarrassing. JC from N’sync lol
8. Hair up or down? down–ALWAYS unless I’m at home
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Like you, swimming–though I haven’t conquered my fear of swimming in the ocean yet. That is just WAY too much! I do swim very comfortably in the deep end at the pool now though 😛
10. Weekly goals: try to stay positive, stay motivated

1. Mood: Cranky. It’s hot and I’m busy.
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Medium to spicy.
3. Your most awkward years? Right now! I’m not feeling old but I’m looking it : (
4. Watcha reading right now? I’m finishing up “We Have to Talk About Kevin” ( really good) and getting ready to start “Gone Girl”
5. Your current Hollywood crush? I don’t have one. I used to like Liam Neeson and Ralph Feinnes but neither of them aged well.
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? “She’s Too Fat For Me”
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? I was in my 30s and 40s then, so it would have been a little perverted to have a teen crush.
8. Hair up or down? Down. It’s the only way I can wear it.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Fear of flying.
10. Weekly goals: Funny that you mentioned the false lashes. I recently wore them and found it easier to put them on than applying several coats of mascara. I’ve been using Latisse for 2 years cause as you age, your lashes disappear ( I think they end up on your upper lip and chin).
Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to start wearing falsies on a regular basis and stop using the Latisse. I just ordered 10 pair from Ebay : )

1. Mood: Okay, not as stressed and tired as last week, because I finished my presentation.
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Extra hot Indian or Thai food.
3. Your most awkward years? between 11-13 I guess, I was reading lots of strange books during this time.
4. Watcha reading right now? One moment, one morning by Sarah Rayner, I bought this one last yer when I was in London. I loved the cover (some old tea cups in the rain), but it’s drepressing.
5. Your current Hollywood crush? George Clooney again and again and Ryan Gosling is not too bad as well
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? No idea, but I need to see the movie
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Lee Majors and Tom Selleck, and Don Johnson after this (hey I’m over 40)
8. Hair up or down? It’s growing so it is not an up yet
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: I don’t have a particular fear, but I won’t do bungee jumping
10. my thought this morning: where am I? what day is it? what do I have to do? I travel a lot or work, so this is sometimes a normal thought, after a few breaths I always remember
11. Weekly goals: Drink more water, go to bed earlier than the last couple of days and try to relax

1. Mood: tired (it is nearly midnight…)
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? medium
3. Your most awkward years? 12-16
4. Watcha reading right now? Song of Ice and Fire part three. LOVE that series.
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Tom Hiddleston without a doubt. Biggest talent crush ever!
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? You can leave your hat on. It’s a classic.
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? I wasn’t that much of a fangirl actually. Though 5ive was pretty big in Belgium when I was in highschool.
8. Hair up or down? Down!!
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Well, not completely conquered. I’m afraid of heights though and two weeks ago when we had to get the entire auditorium in order after our production I went up to help sort out the lights. Big step for me. Huge really.
10. Weekly goals: Relax, have fun, let it finally sink in that I got accepted at the drama school I wanted and start working on my singing portfolio again.

Very happy because here at my work they said its was ok to go on a trip with my freinds and my boyfriend, because i have very little time working here i thougth rthey were going to say no.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?

MILD, for being a mexican girl all my life i dont like spicy food, but sometime a little with lime is just perfect.

3. Your most awkward years?
probably from 12 to 15, i had a lot of family issues and i forgot to take care of myself.

4. Watcha reading right now?

“juventud en extasis” i dont remember the name that wrote the book, is in spanish it mean “youth in Ecstasy”its about how relationships on teen affect them and it has a little story behind, it reminds me about my early yearswhen i was really into finding soul-mate LOL!!

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
Well i dont know if it counts but… USHER i would to find a guy that haves that acttitude and all those dance moves

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?

easy….. nice and slow by usher

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?

OMG!! Freddie Prinze Jr, from she’s all that haha

8. Hair up or down?

UP it’s so hot

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:

being on my own, just to do the simple things by myself with no freinds or family its been great, now i like to do things on my own, like eating or going shopping.

10. Weekly goals:

to get up a little bit more early for work, i hate being late and getting no breakfast or making my makeup, i’ll try my best.

3. Your most awkward years? You know what, I don’t know! I’ve always been self-conscious about various things at a different age, but thinking back on it I don’t remember ever feeling particularly awful. Which is a good thing, I guess! 😀

4. Watcha reading right now? Thomas Pynchon’s V. Yeah, I know. But I’ve been through my shelves and made a pile of books I must attempt to read then give away.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Speaking to people. I used to be CRAZY SHY, where my parents even had to pay at the till for me, but that changed when I moved abroad. Something about asking people to repeat what they said, five times in a row, forced me to get over myself hah. Very grateful for it, it’s made my life much easier.

1. Mood: Relaxed! (It’s the Canada Day long weekend, so I get to just relax, blog, and do some housechores. :D)
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? I prefer medium because spicy can be too much for me at times. And extra hot? Haha, no, I can’t do that. I’ve tried, and my tongue felt burnt – couldn’t even taste anything I was eating…and the pain! :O
3. Your most awkward years? Hmm…I never thought about this before. Don’t think I really had awkward years. Maybe other people thought I was awkward…haha, but I never really felt awkward growing up.
4. Watcha reading right now? Sadly I haven’t made much time for reading lately…but when I get back on track, I want to finish Catching Fire. (It’ll be my first time reading it.)
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Viggo!
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Hahahaha, this question is hilarious! Hmm…I really don’t know what it would be!
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? I had a thing for Mark-Paul Gosselar (Zack from Saved by the Bell) when I was little. 😛
8. Hair up or down? Down! The only times I wear my hair up is when I’m relaxing at home (like right now) or when I didn’t have time to shampoo my hair and need to get it away from my face.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Showing my manicures on the internet. I was always so self-conscious about doing that, but I forced myself to do it for my blog and my love of nail polish. Now I’m not afraid of it anymore.
10. Weekly goals: Pick up where I left off with Catching Fire.Swatch And Learn recently posted … OPI German-icure by OPI Swatches & Review

1. Mood: Chill. Physically exhausted from middle of the day hill climbs in the heat.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Extra hot

3. Your most awkward years? At first I thought 13-17. But, really it was my early 20’s as a young mother and college student.

4. Watcha reading right now? Other than online blogs, nothing. Need to pick up a instructional manual for tuning up a bike and building one from scratch.

5. Your current Hollywood crush? Don’t really have one at the moment. I do love Kristin Bauer van Straten’s character on True Blood, Pam. As your maker, I command you…

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Can’t think of one.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Didn’t consider teens hot in the 80’s or 90’s.

8. Hair up or down? Down

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Heights: zip lines & roller coasters (mainly because of how high they go) Once I overcome my fear, I want to do it again and again. I haven’t bungee jumped or parachuted out a plane only because it doesn’t interest me; not because of the height. I might try rock climbing, indoors first.

1. Mood: Currently comfy because I changed back into my pajamas after coming back from my first day of summer school. But I’m planning to plan out (lol) a schedule to keep up with all the things I need to take care of for school, applications, etc.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? I’m in the mild-medium range but I want to work my way up to spicy! I’ve started to get into slightly spicy food and I’ve always wanted to handle spicy hot stuff!

3. Your most awkward years? While I definitely consider myself quite the awkward turtle right now, my awkwardness probably peaked when I was 12-14? That crazy awkward time in middle school and transitioning to high school? Absolutely rough!

4. Watcha reading right now? The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman. It’s a really well-known book in medical anthropology but the whole concept just sounds really interesting to me. I’m very fascinated by different cultures and how they relate (or don’t) to one another.

5. Your current Hollywood crush? Hmmm… currently, I really only have YouTube crushes! I haven’t watched TV or anything in theaters recently so I’m out of the loop. But I think the YouTubers WongFu Productions, freddiew, and Tobuscus are quite adorable in their own ways

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Probably Army of Me (Suckerpunch Remix) by BjÃ¶rk (feat. Skunk Anansie). I have mixed feelings about the movie it was in but I like this would make such an awesome and powerful song to make as a background song for that!

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? I was just an elementary schooler in the ’90s XD So I guess the Backstreet Boys or ‘NSync were the hotties of that time!

8. Hair up or down? Up, only because I’m not sure what to do with it. It’s at an awkward length and I really need to get it cut and styled sometime soon!

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: I use to be really terrified talking to people I didn’t know or having to start a conversation with someone. I had a really bad social anxiety back in the day and was super shy. While my shyness gets the better of me sometimes, I feel like I’ve become a lot more open and easier to talk with than before.

10. Weekly goals: Stay on top of my game for my lab class and keep getting stuff done for my applications!

5. Your current Hollywood crush? Ryan Gosling is awesome and a feminist!

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? When I was in high school, I had a role in a play where I was a stripper. Everytime I went on stage, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” would play. So that would have to be it!

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Justin Timberlake was my ultimate crush back in his NSync days.

8. Hair up or down? Hair is always down when I’m out of the house because I think it looks a lot better down. But if I’m home and it’s warm, it’s up.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: I grew up being afraid of elevators! It wasn’t until I moved to Boston after graduating from college and I had job interviews inside of skyscrapers that I was forced to get over it. It was 2008 and finding a job was hard enough as it was!

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? — I honestly cannot remember. I am sure it changed frequently.

8. Hair up or down? — 110 degrees and all those lovely new braids I learned? Up!

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: — Ages ago I had a spell of serious, panicky fear of heights, which I overcame one day by slooowly walking up to the edge of a ~400 yard cliff while on holiday. Fantastic view over the ocean, once I got over my shaky legs and sweaty palms. Haven’t had fear of heights since. Weird, how the mind works.

10. Weekly goals: — Deep-clean the house in preparation for my mom’s visit next month.

1. Mood: I feel good: awake and stronger! I relapsed from my running routine for a few weeks (heh), and started again this morning. It also helps that my hair and eyebrows look fabulous today!2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? I always prefer spicy foods! It comes with being a Vietnamese daughter of a mother who lives for spicy food, and growing up enjoying Korean and Thai foods. Karen, I think I read somewhere that spicy foods actually are addictive, so watch your intake!3. Your most awkward years? I’m still in my awkward years, and I’m 20! My most awkward years were earlier and longer: age 9-14.4. Watcha reading right now? I recently finished Weetzie Bat, its sequel Witch Baby, and its prequel Baby Be-Bop. I haven’t read young adult fiction in years, but these books are amazing dealing with some very adult themes, and absolutely summer-worthy.5. Your current Hollywood crush? Donald Glover from the show Community. Geeky, talented, hilarious comedian/rapper.6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? Brit Brit’s “Toxic.” Should I be worried how easily I answered that question? LOL7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Johnny Depp, hands down.8. Hair up or down? Hair up in a ponytail. It makes me look taller.9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: Can’t think of any! I’m still deathly afraid of spiders.10. Weekly goals: Update my blog, continue reading & running daily.

1. Mood: Good. I attended day 1 of a teacher’s conference at Teacher’s College @ Columbia University and I learned a lot.
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Medium for most things and spicy when I’m adventurous.
3. Your most awkward years? 10-12 was awkward for everything but 12-18 was awkward because I was very overweight and it was rough.
4. Watcha reading right now? 50 Shades Darker and not ashamed to say it!
5. Your current Hollywood crush? I love me some Channing Tatum, and Idris Elba!
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? I had the only crush on Donnie Wahlberg of NKOTB.
8. Hair up or down? I am so lazy. It’s usually up but I do love it down and curly.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:I tend to hold myself back from doing things in my career that would advance me to the next step. I have really squashed that fear and said yes and my career is really taking off.
10. Weekly goals: work out 4xs, eat fairly healthy, finish the rest of this bloody laundry, and enjoy the 4th with hubby and family.

1. Mood: tired! I’ve been packing for my trip all day
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? Medium
3. Your most awkward years? High School (the whole metal/emo stuff was really weird haha)
4. Watcha reading right now? Nothing! I’m hoping to get one book from Enrique Serna during my trip to Mexico City
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Chris Hemsworth!

Mood:
Not bad, given that work was absolute crap today. Oh well, it pays the bills for now…

Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Also depends on the dish. I can deal with, like, Japanese/Korean/Chinese/Thai hot, but Indian hot is a whole different ball game! I also like my Mexican food hot. Filipinos don’t do too much with spicy stuff (unless I’m totally mistaken/a bad Filipino, which, I probably am) so I guess I can’t gauge there.

Your most awkward years?
High school for sure, or at least the first 3 years of it. It’s totally fun to rock a moustache and t-shirts down to your knees to hide your boobs, right?

Hair up or down?
Down, but only when my wavy curls are under control. – Ditto Karen!

Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
(Karen I love yours – I hope to do that one day!) I don’t know if this counts, but I was afraid to leave a relationship because I thought he was the best I could do. It was not healthy at all – definitely some emotional and verbal abuse there – and one day I just said, Screw it, walked away, and never looked back. Honestly, learning how to box helped me with that…

Whatâ€™s a thought that crossed your mind this morning?
List of things to do at work, sadly.

Weekly goals:
Making it to the fireworks and spending as much time with the bf as possible.

1. Mood:
Tired! It’s supposed to be summer, but I have so much to do…oh, the life of a grad student.

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Extra hot – I’m Mexican and I love my spicy food. I’ve only ever eaten one thing that was waaay too spicy for me – it was a dried Sichuan pepper I ate in China, and it made my ears ring so hard I thought it actually damaged my hearing for about an hour.

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
Hmm, that’s difficult. I don’t usually go for really built guys, but Joe Manganiello is very attractive to me. Can’t wait to see Magic Mike!

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
Haha, I immediately thought of “Pony” by Ginuwine too. But maybe I could go with something like “D’yer Mak’er” by Led Zeppelin – I always thought that song was really sexy.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
Can’t think of any of the usual hotties I was into, but I was soooo obsessed with Alyson Hannigan as Willow on Buffy. I was so excited when the character started dating women.

8. Hair up or down?
I like both, depends on how I’m feeling, and how hot it is.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
I used to have a really weird and unreasonable fear of laundromats – like, I couldn’t even drive by one without feeling creeped out. But now I live in an apartment without a washer/dryer and I go to the laundromat all the time!

10. Weekly goals:
Finish the book I’m reviewing and make some progress on rewriting my journal article.

1. Mood: Ok. It was a long weekend here, so getting slowly back into the work grind, plus dealing with the worst back of the knees sunburn, which is making things mighty uncomfortable.
2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot? I’m all over the place. My huge issue with spiciness is I want what I eat to have flavour, not just HOT. So for most things, I’m a good medium girl, but some dishes can be spicy and delicious. Noodles are one of them. Soup is another. But i’m not the kind of person to chow down on some hot hot wings. I was the same as you Karen — I was NOT interested in any kind of spiciness until maybe 2 years ago, when I had something very hot but delicious. And then the craving starts..
3. Your most awkward years? I would have to say 13-16. I was a late bloomer, so first I wasn’t up to snuff, and I missed all the years where everyone had no idea what was going on, and then I was awkward because I was trying to catch up.. I really didn’t find my own until after highschool.
4. Watcha reading right now? I just (literally) finished ‘Savor the Danger’ by Lori Foster. Really liking the series, and the macho men are really hitting the spot right now Plus, the stories in the series are really interesting and some good funny moments.
5. Your current Hollywood crush? Umm, I’d have to agree Karen.. Ryan Gosling still does it for me (I watched Crazy, Stupid Love again this weekend, and something about the Emma Stone/Ryan Gosling combo just gets me going — PS HAVE YOU SEEN THE TRAILER FOR GANGSTER SQUAD?? If you want to instantly be back to Ryan, check it out). Channing Tatum also does it for me — But its definitely a returning crush, with ‘She’s the Man’ really getting to me back in my teenage years. 21 Jump Street cemented the comedy crush with him (shocked me!) and Magic Mike looks really good, in a completely indulgent way.
6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be? I really like Tonight by Addictiv, or Where Have you Been by Rihanna — for some reason, I can totally see a sexy dance to that song!
7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s? Embarrassing, but Junior Floyd in Little Giants (Devon Sawa).. I think he was also in Casper.
8. Hair up or down? Up is more comfortable, down looks cuter.
9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered: I have a lot of un-acknowledged fears, but I think believing in someone and something would be the most recent fear I’ve conquered. I know, boring, but its kind of huge.
10. Weekly goals: I think I want to start watching Girls. Enjoy the week, but don’t get too down because the Boy is leaving to go to Vegas on Thursday. Keep the spirits up!

2. Mild, medium, spicy or extra hot?
Spicy! I’m so grateful that the hubby likes spicy food, too. I once dated a guy that thought chow mein was spicy… that didn’t last very long… I like my men and my food, HOT, HOT, HOT!

3. Your most awkward years?
8-17… never quite fit into inner city Nashville where we moved when I was 8…. and the whole hormone thing didn’t help matters.

4. Watcha reading right now?
Bindi GIrl. It’s a travel musing. And it was free on Pixel of Ink. It’s an interesting look at travel and 3rd world countries.

5. Your current Hollywood crush?
I will always have a thing for Will Smith… but any hunk du jour is pleasant eye candy. Channing Tatum is awfully nice eye candy right now…

6. Speaking of Magic Mike, what would your stripper anthem/theme song be?
No idea.

7. Fave teen hottie of the â€™80s or â€™90s?
The shy basson player in Youth Symphony…. alas, unrequited. Probably a good thing.

8. Hair up or down?
Half up, half down. Lots of braids when working outdoors.

9. Tell me about a fear youâ€™ve conquered:
I used to be scared of performing and would freeze and go blank during recitals in my teens. But in college I forced myself to go to open mike nights and got over my fear. And now i have no problem in front of crowds — which is a good thing since I often give talks as part of what I do.

10. Weekly goals: Finish cleaning the house. Avoid getting caught up in chaotic panic about the state of my house, my schedule, etc. Make sure I grab a little me-break this week. Enjoy my mother-in-law — who is arriving tomorrow and staying for a week.

This cracked me up!!! You made my day talking about Michael J Fox. In his Alex P Keaton days he was totally fine. All of my friends make fun of me because they liked guys like Devon Sawa or Johnathan Brandis. But I was all about some Marty McFly

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